Improvement in furnaces for steam-boilers



l. WESTERMAN.

` Furnaces for Steam-Boilers, GLC.4

NO. 136,948. d- Patented Nla|rch18,1873.-

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PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES WESTERMAN, or SHARON, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN FuRNAcEs FOR STEAM-Bomans, ac.

Specification forming part of Lette's Patent No. 136,948, dated March18, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES WESTERMAN, of Sharon, in the county of Mercerand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsin Furnaces for Steam-Boilers, &c; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact des Jription thereof,that will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use. the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawingand to the letters of reference marked thereon which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in furnaces for heatingsteam-boilers, and other similar purposes; and the invention consists inthe construction and arrangement of devices whereby the smoke isconsumed, and a thorough combustion and utilization of the fueleffected, without injury to the boilers, or to the devices by which thedesired result is accomplished 5 and also by means of which the watermay be rapidly heated in the furnace as it is fed or forced into theboilers.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a side elevation of my improvedfurnace with portions of the walls cut away to show the in terior. Fig.2 is a transverse sectional view on the line .c m, Fig. 1.

A representsI the boilers. B the smokestack, the nue b leading from thefurnace being shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. C represents thegrate-bars. D is the fuel-chamber of the furnace, the fuel beingintroduced through doors of the ordinary description, the position ofwhich is indicated by dotted lines o, Fig. 1. E is a hollow bridge,provided with registers or valves F at either or both ends.

The rear wall of the bridge E slopes diagonally from the base to the topand is perforated or pierced with a number of holes or air-passages, c,leading from the hollow interior to the combustion-chamber of thefurnace G. The top of the bridge is also provided with an elevation orridge, f, which prevents the fuel falling over into thecombustion-chamber. H is a hollow wall or chamber, traversing the widthof the furnace, projecting downward from the boilers in a line with the'top of the-bridge.

This wall or chamber H, with the bridge- E, separates the fuel-chamberfrom the combustion-chamber, only a narrowr opening being left betweenthem for the passage of the smoke and other products of combustion. Thewidth of this opening or distance between the bridge and downwardprojection H may be varied as found desirable or necessary to suitdifferent sized furnaces and different conditions of construction withrelation to draft, &c, the object being to deflect the smoke and gasesarising from the burning of fuel and cause them to pass into thecombustion-chamber in a concentrated volume or current, for the purposeshereinafter more fully set forth. The hollow wall H is made of malleableiron, and is connected with the interior of the boilers by means ofpipes I, so that the water in the boilers iills it, and circulatesfreely through both the boilers and the hollow wall, the latter beingthereby protected from burning through the direct action of the iiame onits surface. J is a pipe, leading from the outside of the furnaceintothe hollow wall H. Through this pipe the water fed to the boilers may beinjected, and being held in a narrow column exposed on all sides to thedirect action of the dame, it is rapidly heated before passing into theboilers, thereby preserving an equable temperature of the water in thelatter, more conducive to the generation of steam. If desirable, bothends of the hollow wall may be furnished with feed-pipes J.

It will thus be seen that the hollow wall or chamber H, as a feeder andheater, forms an important adjunct to the boilers 5 but it has anotherand distinct function to perform ,which I will now set forth.

When the lire in the fuel chamber is Supplied with green fuel the smokeand gases of combustion will rise, and after filling the chamber andstriking against the wall H will be thereby deflected and made to passthrough the narrow opening or passage between the bottom of the wall Hand top of bridge E. At this point, as the current of smoke and gasenters the combustion-chamber Gr, itis niet by a diifused supply of airadmitted through the openings c leading from the hollow bridge. Theoxygen combining withthe carbon gases causes the latter to ignite andburst into ame, which completely consumes the smoke and gas, therebyutilizing all the heat-producin g elements of the fuel. When the iirehas become bright less oxygen is required and the volume of -ar isdecreased or shut off altogether by means of the registers or valves F.In this way the smoke nuisance, so common in cities where bituminouscoal is used, may be obviated in a great measure, while at the same timea great saving of fuel is ei'ected.

When the boilers are fed by other means than that which I havedescribed, the feedpipe J is omitted and the pipes I l alone are usedfor the purpose of keeping the hollow wall full of water as avprotectionagainst burning; and it will be obvious that this hollow metallic wallor chamber may be used in reverberatory and other furnaces where theeonsumption of smoke is an object, as well as for steam-boilers, theonly additional requirement in such cases being supply and out-let pipesto insure the filling of the chamber with water and the escape of anysteam which may be generated therein.

' Having thus described the functions of my I combined water-heater andcombustion-chamber wall or shield, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, isf- 1. The hollow metallic wall or chamber H,filled or supplied with water, in combination with the hollow bridge Ehaving air-passages, substantially as and for thepurpos'e specified.

2. The hollow metallic wall or chamber H, supplied with water, incombination with the bridge E, fuel-chamber D, and combustionchamber Gr,constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose speciied.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this20th day of December, 1872.

JAMES WESTERMAN.

Witnesses: A. B. RICHMOND, J. NEWTON McGLosKEY.

